March 27, 2013
OpenWrt is a Linux distribution for your router. Like other Linux distributions, it offers a built-in package manager that allows you to install packages from a software repository. It can be used for anything that an embedded Linux system can be used for, including functioning as an SSH server, VPN, traffic-shaping system, or even a BitTorrent client.
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January 16, 2013
Wired ethernet will always be better than wireless connections, but sometimes you don’t have a choice - all manner of mobile devices need wifi. There is however one very basic step you can take which will give you an instant speed boost - picking a unique wifi channel that no one else is using. Today I’ll show you how to scan the wifi spectrum and pick the best channel available to you.
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December 16, 2012
For most people, home networking consists of knowing the wifi password; it's an oft-neglected yet significant topic that has a big impact on performance. If you have more than one computer in your house, home networking knowledge becomes essential. But there are many factors which can slow down a home network, often quite easily fixed.
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September 7, 2012
If you think a wireless router’s only job is to connect you to the world of the Internet, you’re missing out on a lot of its awesome goodness. Sure, maybe all you need is Internet access. In that case, you don’t really have to worry about all the tricks your router can do. But for those of you that want to maximize your experience, there are some advanced features that will make your life much easier.
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July 27, 2012
In this article, I'm going to show you some of the coolest features of DD-WRT which, if you decide to make use of, will allow you to transform your own router into the super-router of your dreams. While DD-WRT isn't the only router firmware capable of turning your router into a wireless access point, it is certainly one of the easiest.
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July 27, 2012
Many people find that they don’t know much about routers when it comes time to buy one. There’s no shame in that. Consumers usually don’t bother to learn much about them because we don’t often interact with them directly unless they’re broken. There are some important differences between routers, however, so it’s a good idea to brush up on your knowledge before making a purchase.
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May 18, 2012
Have you ever bricked your router? Were you able to fix it, or did you give up and throw your router away? Follow this tutorial that shows you how you can bring back your router from the dead with the help of a few handy third party apps.
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December 21, 2011
As more devices ship with wireless networking capabilities, it becomes increasingly important to have routers that are capable of handling connections from hardware such as tablets, laptops and mobile phones. The problem is that many routers still in use are perfectly good pieces of hardware, except for one drawback - they don’t support Wireless-N or offer advanced encryption such as WPA.
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March 21, 2011
Xbox Live is Microsoft’s premium online content delivery and multiplayer gaming service for the Xbox 360. Whilst it’s free to join for a basic account, a subscription opens up the world of online play and exclusive content – when it works. If you’ve recently signed up for a paid Xbox Live account and are unable [...]
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February 28, 2011
Something that many consumers do not really think about is that hardware you buy in the store actually has software running on it as well. Any router you get – that’s the device that distributes the Internet coming into your house or business to multiple computers – has software running on it. Although “officially” the [...]
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February 25, 2011
For those of you who don’t know, DD-WRT is an open-source replacement firmware for household Internet routers that greatly enhances their functionality as well as providing increased performance. Though I was initially daunted by the sheer range of additional options that the DD-WRT firmware provides, I’m pleased to report there is a hell of a [...]
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February 22, 2011
How many WiFi devices do you own? I own three myself – my iPad, iPod, and Android smartphone – but only my smartphone is capable of reaching the Internet without a WiFi connection. If I didn’t own a wireless router or I was someplace that only offered a plug-in connection, I would be out of [...]
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February 20, 2011
In home networks, IP addresses aren’t usually fixed, but they do fall within specific ranges. Your router will assign a new IP address automatically if another computer joins the network, or if your configuration changes. For the most part, this works out just fine – you shouldn’t notice a difference to your Internet performance or [...]
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February 13, 2011
WiFi running a bit slow lately? If your router is still using old security methods such as WEP, then there’s a very real possibility that someone has hacked in to steal your WiFi. In my article on Cool WiFi Devices You’ve Probably Never Heard Of, I showed you a $100 commercially available router that would [...]
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August 3, 2010
Do you have some reason to offer free wifi to others? Maybe you own a business and you want to share your Internet with the customer waiting room. Perhaps Uncle Fred is over for a while and he needs WiFi but you don’t need him snooping around your home network. Or you could just be [...]
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